Senate Update: Community effort is needed to help fight crime

We all know the scenario: A crime is committed. There is public outcry. Some law enforcement official, invariably, describes the offense as “a crime of opportunity.”

Many criminal experts believe there is indeed a relationship between crime and opportunity. The lack of the latter breeds an increase in the former. As our national economy sputters and unemployment rises, law enforcement officials across the country are confronting a surge in certain crimes amid impending budget cuts.

The Washington, D.C.-based Police Executive Research Forum, an independent law enforcement group, released in January a report forecasting budget cuts and a rise in crime. In its report, the group found 63 percent, nearly two thirds of the 233 law enforcement agencies surveyed, were preparing for budget cuts next fiscal year, which, for many, began this month.

In addition, 44 percent of those responding reported they believe increases in certain crimes, such as robberies, burglaries and thefts, are linked to the troubled economy. Even the nation’s largest retailers, in a report released in May, noted that 61 percent of those surveyed saw an increase in amateur or opportunistic shoplifting in the previous four months.

I imagine many of our law enforcement officers and business leaders and even some of you can attest to the impact the economic woes are having on crime in the Palmetto State. South Carolina, as many of you are aware, has one of the highest jobless rates in the nation with a record number of our citizens unemployed.

This lack of opportunity, or lack of prosperity, leads to anxiety and despair and causes some, but not most, to try to take advantage of others. This spike in crimes comes as local and state government struggle to protect our citizens and meet our basic needs.

President Obama’s stimulus package was designed to combat this problem by creating or saving jobs while providing funding to local and state government to keep our communities safe. The General Assembly agreed to use a portion of the state’s stimulus dollars to, among other things, put more troopers on the road and keep adult and juvenile offenders incarcerated.

You, too, can play a role in helping keep our communities safe.

On the first Tuesday in August, communities across the nation will participate in National Night Out, an event designed, in part, to heighten crime prevention awareness, foster neighborhood spirit and build partnerships with police agencies.

As police department budgets dwindle, law enforcement officials along with your neighbors could use an extra set of eyes and ears – yours. Besides, we’re all in this together. We need to watch each other’s back. And, I’ll do the same for you in Columbia.

I want to hear your opinions and suggestions concerning issues. Contact me in Columbia at (803) 212-6008 or by fax at (803) 212-6011. My district office is at 137 Airport Road, Suite J, Mullins, 29574, the phone number is (843) 423-8237 and the fax number is (843) 431-6049. You may also email me at WILLIAMSK@scsenate.org. My business phone is (843) 423-3904.